


Some of the Best Friendships are Based on Fond Mockery of Other Friends

by PennamePersona



Series: Making Sense of Life While on a Space Rock [3]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dave Making Friends, F/F, Friendship, Gossip, Having a Really Good Time Talking About Your Ridiculous Friends, Kanaya Being Savage and Making Friends, M/M, Meteorstuck, Multi, Post-Retcon, Retcon Timeline, Rose and Karkat Being Happy for the People They Care About, Ships Are in Beginning Stages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 17:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennamePersona/pseuds/PennamePersona
Summary: “It’s a criminal offense that we didn’t talk more before, too. You’re a fucking savage, and I am absolutely loving it.” He says.“It is a shame,” You agree. “You’re actually quite easy to talk to, and more amusing than either Rose or Karkat seem willing to admit.”orThe budding friendship of Dave Strider and Kanaya Maryam and the subsequent delight/apprehension of Rose Lalonde and Karkat Vantas.





	Some of the Best Friendships are Based on Fond Mockery of Other Friends

**Author's Note:**

> One of my favorite things in the world is the idea of Kanaya and Dave being friends and it's criminal that we didn't get more of that in Homestuck proper. Criminal, I say. So here's that, way early in the meteor journey, which I'm doing a take on with this series that's actually pretty damn fun.

As you step off the transportalizer pad into the common area, which is normally empty at this time of night (day? It’s difficult to keep track of time when surrounded by constant darkness), you are greeted with Dave Strider’s arm thrown into the air in greeting from where he’s laying on one of the couches.

 

“What’s up Karkat, my main man? At least, I’m guessing it’s you. Wait, no, it’s too quiet to be you. Shit, Rose, is that you?” He says, and you blink in surprise. You haven’t seen Dave since he and Rose landed on the meteor, which was about half a perigee ago. Apparently Rose and Karkat have seen him since then, often enough that he’s expecting them, now.

 

“Sorry to disappoint,” You say, and he shoots up in surprise.

 

“What the hell,” He says, turning to look at you, visibly relaxing as he recognizes you. “Holy fuck, Kanaya, jesus christ, I’ve actually never heard you talk, what the fuck.”

 

You poorly stifle a snort of laughter and put your things down on one of the tables. You’d planned to do some sewing and reading here, where there might be other people at some point. This meteor is lonely, and quiet halls stopped being comforting fall too quickly.

 

“Hello, Dave,” You say. “Were you expecting to meet Karkat here tonight?”

 

“Uh,” He says, moving so that he’s looking over the couch’s back at you. “Not exactly, no, but he wanders here around this time pretty often. I thought I’d beat him here tonight.”

 

“Well, you’ve done that,” You say, picking through your sewing basket. “So I congratulate you on your success.”

 

“Thanks,” He says, then tumbles over the back of the couch. “What’re you doing here?”

 

“I’d planned on working on some sewing, and when that inevitably became painfully boring, moving to reading a truly terrible book that Karkat recommended a few perigees ago.” You say, gesturing to the items you’ve lain on the table. “I’d been keeping it in my sewing basket in case of a situation as plagued with lack of stimuli as this.”

 

“Damn,” Dave says, a smile quirking at the corner of his mouth. “That’s some real harsh commentary, Kanaya. I’m not sure Karkat could handle hearing it.”

 

“If he would be more content to die without knowing his taste in literature is objectively terrible, I will probably never know,” You say with a shrug. “Regardless, I’ve recommended equally awful books to him in the past. There was one series in particular that he brought with him that Rose found quite funny to see.”

 

“Why’s that?” He asks, sitting down in a chair a few spaces over from you and leaning his elbows on the table.

 

“She said it resembles a popular series on Earth about ‘vampires’ who ‘sparkled in the sun’ and had ‘truly terrible codependency issues’, which she said she had never dared to delve deeply into,” You say, with the addition of what Rose calls air-quotes.

 

“Holy shit,” Dave says, obviously fighting back a laugh. “You guys have Troll Twilight. That is so fucking funny, but not as funny as the fact that Rose has totally read the whole series at least twice.”

 

“Why would she have lied about that?” You ask. “I would have thought she would be eager to share in the cultural exchange and compare the two series.”

 

“It’s a super bad series,” Dave says. “But worse, it was popular, and Rose can’t be caught dead liking something popular. She’s too above that shit.”

 

“She said similar of you,” You muse. “She called you a ‘hippedster’, I believe.”

 

“Wow,” He says, shaking his head. “My own sister called me a fucking hipster. Now that shit’s harsh. Also, way to dish, Kanaya, you gossip.”

 

“I need some way to pass the time,” You say. “And my conversation partners were previously limited to Rose and Karkat with the occasional stint of pretending that I didn’t want to punch Vriska every time she spoke. Much as it pains me to say, I am in desperate need of more people to talk to.”

 

“You know what, same,” He says. “It’s a criminal offense that we didn’t talk more before, too. You’re a fucking savage, and I am absolutely loving it.”

 

“It is a shame,” You agree. “You’re actually quite easy to talk to, and more amusing than either Rose or Karkat seem willing to admit.”

 

“Oh my god, please tell me everything they’ve said about me,” He says, draping himself over the table. “I am begging you, Kanaya, dish it out. Tell me all the hot goss, I will die without it, and then you’ll have a corpse on your hands, and no one wants that - wait, actually, you might, Rose said something about you drinking blood. Kanaya, if I die, would you drink my blood? You’re contractually obligated to tell me the truth, by the way, because if you don’t, I will so haunt you and then Rose’ll get jealous as shit and no one wants that.”

 

You chuckle and set your basket completely aside.

 

“I will make no statement regarding my likelihood of drinking your blood,” You say. “Though it should be noted that I have never tasted human blood and so may be very curious if you were to die right in front of me, with no witnesses around.”

 

“God damn,” He says. “Totally fair, though. Now c’mon, tell me that goss. Spill it. Tell me absolutely everything, Kanaya, I am your captive audience.”

 

You grin and begin to talk.

 

* * *

 

When you transportalize into the common area, your arm is immediately grabbed by someone, and you are yanked to the side. Before you can loudly request to know what the actual fuck is going on, a hand is put over your mouth.

 

“Hush, Karkat,” Rose fucking Lalonde says, removing her grip on your arm now that she’s brought you behind a section of wall that removes you from the sight of most of the room. “It is of utmost importance that we not interrupt what is currently happening.”

 

“And what might that be, almighty Seer?” You hiss after pushing her hand off your mouth. She points around the corner of the wall at the table in the center of the room. Where Kanaya and Dave are sitting. And talking. Loudly, with laughter, about - 

 

What the fuck! They’re talking about you! Kanaya is describing one of your conversations about the romantic entanglements of a book series she recommended to you half a sweep ago, her gestures over-exaggerated as she explains your heated interest. Dave is laughing so hard you’re almost concerned for his ability to breathe, occasionally choking out a request for clarification, which Kanaya seems eager to give.

 

“They were talking about me earlier,” Rose whispers. “It was mildly offensive at first, and then I realized something very important.”

 

“Fill me in on that, or I’m going to storm out there and demand an explanation for why this is an appropriate activity,” You demand, as quietly as you can, which, admittedly isn’t very quietly at all. Luckily, Kanaya and Dave are very engaged in their mockery and haven’t noticed.

 

“They’re happy.” Rose says, which stuns you speechless for a moment. You look back at them and watch, pushing aside the prickly feeling of two of your friends talking about you while you’re not there to defend yourself.

 

Kanaya might be exaggerating her imitations, but she doesn’t sound mocking at all. She actually sounds sort of fond, and as you listen, she doesn’t avoid bringing her own past comments into the description. Dave’s laughter isn’t mocking, either, and it occurs to you that you haven’t actually heard him laugh before.

 

It’s a good sound. He really does look happy, genuinely delighted to listen to and engage with Kanaya. Even if they were making fun of you, which you can pretty conclusively tell that they aren’t, you might be swayed to let it slide because of how truly happy they both seem.

 

“Fuck,” You breathe. “They are.”

 

“It’s nice,” Rose whispers. “But also terrifying. I’d never considered the combined power of Dave and Kanaya before, but now I’m a touch concerned about what they could accomplish.”

 

“I’m not sure I want to find out,” You say, which is, maybe, a bit of a lie.

 

“Should we alert them to our presence?” Rose asks, after another few moments.

 

“Absolutely,” You say. “It’ll scare the shit out of them.”

 

“Exactly,” She says, and when you look, you can see a small smile on her face.

 

The two of you step out where Dave and Kanaya can see you, and when Rose asks, “What do we have here?” they actually yelp.

 

It’s kind of fucking hilarious, and considering everything you just heard them say, you don’t feel bad at all about laughing at their expressions.

 

Later, after you and Rose have dug into Kanaya and Dave for their antics, you and Dave are sitting on one of the common area’s couches and watching a movie that Kanaya had recommended to you a few days ago. Every time you have an objection to what’s happening on screen, you shout it to Kanaya, who is sitting at the table with Rose, working on some sort of sewing project while Rose knits. Without fail, she replies with a fond sounding kind of dryness.

 

After a long-ish chunk in which nothing objectionable happens onscreen, Dave hums, so you turn to him.

 

“Kanaya’s pretty cool,” He says, quietly enough that the girls are unlikely to hear him.

 

“She is,” You agree, a touch of nervousness in your gut. 

 

“I mean, not like you are,” He says. “You’re best bro material for sure. Kanaya’s rad, sure, but she and Rose are definitely better suited for each other.”

 

“Oh,” You say, startled slightly, the nervousness vanishing more quickly than it came. “Yeah, I guess so. Still, I’m. Glad you and Kanaya get along.”

 

“Me too, man,” He says, sliding closer to you. “Okay, so explain this bit to me, I totally haven’t been paying attention.”

 

You groan dramatically, but honestly, any irritation you could’ve felt is chased away by a warm feeling in your chest that you aren’t sure how to name, yet, but for once…

 

For once, you think you can wait to figure it out. For now, you’ve got a human to explain the plot of a movie to, and that sounds like a pretty fucking great way to spend your time.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://www.pennamepersona.tumblr.com) for all sorts of reasons, but especially for if you wanna talk about Homestuck and/or have a fic request


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